(Pierre) – South Dakotans have one more tool to help protect themselves and their loved ones. Attorney General Mark Barnett is pleased to announce that the registered sex offender dot density map is now available to the public through the Attorney General’s website. The dot density map provides information about how many registered sex offenders live in any given city or county in South Dakota.

“This site doesn’t give the specific address of the sex offenders, or their names. It will however, let people know how many sex offenders are in their area,” said Attorney General Mark Barnett. “It’s an awareness tool and a community policing tool. The average offender in South Dakota is a 34 year old white male, and the average victim is a 12 year old white female. People need to be aware and need to protect their loved ones.”

South Dakota law prohibits a statewide sex offender registry of convicted offenders from being available online. But local law enforcement agencies can provide an online sex offender registry of offenders living in their community. The Aberdeen Police Department is the first in the state to have a local registry available through their website. It can be accessed by visiting www.aberdeen.sd.us or through a link on the dot density map of the Attorney General's website.

The Sioux Falls Police Department and the Minnehaha Sheriff’s Office are in the process of making a registry available on their website. The Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office are also working together to provide an online registry of offenders in the Rapid City area.